Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Autopsies suggest insulin is underused
Autopsy studies indicate that the insulin-producing cells of people with type II diabetes are damaged.
- Health & Medicine
Cell-Phone Buzz: Contradictory studies heat up radiation question
A new long-term animal study of cell-phone radiation suggests that emissions don't cause cancer, but studies by a second team hint that cell phones may cause damage in other ways.
- Health & Medicine
Kill or Be Killed: Tumor protein offs patrolling immune cells
Many human cancers may evade surveillance by exploiting a protein normally found on certain immune cells.
- Health & Medicine
Rewiring Job: Drug spurs nerve growth in stroke-damaged brains
The natural compound inosine spurs nerve reconnection in rats that have suffered the loss of blood to parts of the brain, suggesting inosine might help people recover from a stroke.
- Health & Medicine
Survivors’ Benefit?
Smallpox outbreaks throughout history may have endowed some people with genetic mutations that make them resistant to the AIDS virus.
- Anthropology
Cultures of Reason
East Asian and Western cultures may encourage fundamentally different reasoning styles, rather than build on universal processes often deemed necessary for thinking.
- Health & Medicine
Oxygen limits infections from surgery
Giving patients extra oxygen during and shortly after colorectal surgery halves the incidence of infection.
- Health & Medicine
Stem Cell Gain: Bone marrow cells seem to have what it takes
Tests show that a rodent bone marrow cell similar to one found in people acts as a multipurpose stem cell, much as embryonic stem cells do.
- Health & Medicine
Enough Isn’t Enough: An epidemic of vitamin D deficiency
Many U.S. women of childbearing age, particularly those of African descent, lack sufficient vitamin D even though they consume the recommended amount.
- Humans
Dangerous Wake: Wing vortices yield a deadly secret
A new mathematical analysis of an aeronautical hazard known as wake turbulence could someday lead to improved air safety and increase the number of flights at major airports.
- Health & Medicine
Let Them Eat Cake: Altered mice stay svelte on a high-fat diet
A protein that links gluttony and weight gain may be a novel target for antiobesity drugs.
- Health & Medicine
Chinese chimneys slash lung cancer risk
People in rural China who replace rudimentary domestic hearths with well-ventilated stoves enjoy both less-smoky homes and a dramatic reduction in their risk of developing lung cancer.
